Method for separating substances from gaseous mediums



0. 0. PEEBLES Feb. 2, 1937.

' 2,069,389 METHOD FORSEPARATING SUBSTANCES FROM'GA'SEOUS MEDIUMS Filed Aug. 5, 1954 s a kfim R m 4 w a 6 fl 1 7. L w 4% fi I .fi HH J 4M a my W I (MM Patented Feb. 2, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- METHOD FOR SEPARATING SUBSTANCES 'FROM GASEOUS MEDIUMS DavidD. Peebles, Eureka, Calif.

Application August 3, 1934, Serial No. 738,241 5 Claims. (01. 183-120) This invention relates generally to methods for the removal or separation of various substances from gaseous mediums. The invention has useful application where it is desired to recover a substance carried by the gaseous medium, as well as to treatment for the purification of gases.

It is an object of the invention to provide a method of the above character which will be characterized by great simplicity and efficiency, and which will have wide application to various gases and substances carried thereby.

A further object of the invention is toefi'ec removal ofv substances from gaseous mediums where present forms of separating methods are not applicable, as for example, where extremely fine solid particles or fumes, as from sublimed material, are suspended in a gas.

Further objects of the invention will appear from the following description in which the preferred embodiment of the invention has been set forth in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

Referring to the drawing:

. Fig. 1 is a side elevationalview, in cross-section, illustrating a separating apparatus incorporating the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view, illustrating further equipment which can be utilized with the apparatus of Fig. l, for the removal of various substances from'a gaseous medium.

The method incorporated in the present invention can be made clear after a description of the apparatus illustrated in the drawing. Referring first to Fig. 1, the apparatus consists of a casing ill, having end portions II and I2 to which the inflow and outflow conduits l3 and H are connected. Within the casing in are the elongated, open-ended tubes I6, through which the gas being treatedis caused to flow. The ends of the tubes l6 extend through and are sealed with respect to the tube sheets I! and [8. Thus, the ends of the tubes are in'communication with an inflow header chamber l9 and an outflow header chamber 2i. 4 I

In operation, I transmit heat through the walls of the tubes It; therefore the space 22 surrounding the tubes is shown communicating with pipe 23, through which steam can be introduced. Pipe 24 communicating with the lower portion of chamber 22 is for-the removal of condensate,

steam, or both. Pipe 25 is indicated for the removal of non-condensable' gases which may be carried in by the steam. In place of steam, other heating mediums can be employed, such'as hot.

gases. Extending into the-inflow chamber I! there is a pipe 26, adapted to be connected to a suitable source of liquid under pressure, and the inner end of this pipe is provided with a suitable spray head 2'I. I

Fig. 2 shows representative additional equipment incorporating the apparatus of Fig. 1. It will be noted that inflow conduit i3 is connected to the exhaust side of a cyclone separator 29, the inlet of which is connected to the discharge 10 side of blower 28. The gaseous medium to be treated is supplied to the inflow side of blower 28 and is discharged to apparatus l0 after a preliminary removal of solids in separator 29. The outflow conduit M is connected to the separator 32. From this separator the gas, from which liquid phase material has been removed, is withdrawn through conduit 33, while liquid phase material is withdrawn by pump 34. The discharge from pump 34 leads to a liquid storage tank 36, from which liquid is withdrawn by pump 31 for redelivery to the spray pipe 26. A portion of the discharge from pump'3'l can be re-discharged into tank 36 byway of line 38,

and a control of the rate of supply of liquid to 26 the spray pipe 26 canbe afforded by manipulation of valves 39 and 4|. Liquid can be introduced and removed as indicated by lines 42 and 43.

To explain the mode of operation of the apparatus described above, and'the carrying out of my method, it will be presumed that the gas suplied to the separator 29 is discharged from milkdesiccating equipment, and contains finely-divided particles of desiccated milk in suspension. Such gas may be air, or products of combustion, dependent upon the drying gas used in the des-. iccating equipment. It will also be presumed that the liquid in tank 36, being pumped to the spray pipe 26, is milk, although water or other liquids can be employed. In passing through the separator 29, the coarser solid particles are removed, and the gas, which still retains the flner solid particles in suspension, is then delivered into the chamber H! by blower, 28. Within chamber IS the gas is contacted with spray particles of 45 milk and is then blown through the tubes IE, together with particles of liquid milk entrained therewith. The liquid particles carried into the. tubes l6 sufilce to keep the inner walls continually wet, and, by virtue of the heat being transmitted through the walls of the tubes, 9. portion of the particles is converted to the vapor phase. Therefore, in each of the tubes milk exists in both liquid and vapor phases, thevapor phase being tubes, which causes vapor formation. Turbu-.

lence also serves to disperse the vapor throughout the gas stream, so as to afford a uniformly thorough .influence upon the separating action.

The peculiar conditions existing within the tubes l8, explained above, serve to effect a remarkably eflicient separation of finely-divided solid material from the gas, and the entrainment of the same in the milk or like liquid phase material. Referring again to Fig. 2, milk or like liquid phase material is removed from the separator 32 by pump 34, and the gas, which has now been freed of finely-divided particles, is discharged through conduit 33.

With respect to the turbulent condition produced in the flow through tubes I6, is is evident that such an effect is dependent largely upon the rate of gas fiow. Assuming the use of a tube having a predetermined internal diameter, and

assuming also a given rate of heat transfer, the

speed of movement of the gas through the'tube should be suflicient so that the effect of turbulence predominates, as distinguished from a relatively quiescent flow. By way of example, I have secured good results by utilizing tubes having a length of about twelve feet and a diameter of two inches, with a gas velocity therethrough of about 2000 feet per minute. In general, the tubes should be relatively long compared to their internal diameters.

The formation of vapor from water or like material as it passes through the tubes l6 has a remarkable eifect upon the efficiency of separaexistence of an electrical charge upon the parti- 'cles, the particles-appear to be actually repelled moval of finely-divided solid particles.

tion obtained. As is well known, water or like material, of itself, when contacted with a gaseous medium is not particularly effective in the re- Due to certain reasons, such as surface tension or the from the surface of water or like liquids. It is in recognition of this phenomenon that, in the past, apparatus for the removal of finely-divided solid particles from gases has utilized a surface or film of oil as an entrainment material. Ap-

parently thereis little, if any, repelling action between finely-divided solid particles and a film x of oil. but the use of oil in a separator of this character-is subject tomany disadvantages. /For example, oil does not lend itself to the recovery of the removed solid particles, such as is frequently desirable where'the finely-divided solid material is of value. Furthermore, the use of oil may impart to the gas objectionable hydrocarbon vapors.

In my methodpit is possible to utilize water or like liquids as distinguished from oil, because the partial vaporization of the water to effect supersaturation, and the consequent reduction of vapor to saturation, in effect nullify any reluctance of the solid particles to be entrained by the water. The supersaturation phenomenon can be explainedby stating that vaporization of a. part of the liquid passing through the tubes causes supersaturation of the gas with respect to the liquid. Under such conditions, dust particles and other matter from the gas are entrained by fog, the fog being subsequently entrained in the unvaporized liquid and gas and tending to condense about dust particles to form small drops. In any event, a remarkably complete separation is obtained for a relatively short time period of treatment, and the separation is effective with respect to fumes such as sublimed material, and gases soluble in water such as sulphur-dioxide, as well as to dust particles.

In a commercial installation my invention may require a. certain amount of adjustment in order to secure the separation desired, dependent upon the conditions of operation. For example, in one installation, where the gas being treated contained finely-divided particles of desiccated milk, the gas, upon delivery through the conduit I 3, was at a temperature of 70 F. Incidentally, note that the temperature of this gas has little effect uponoperation of the apparatus. Water was delivered to the spray head- 21 at a flow rate of about 15 gals. per minute, fora flow of gas corresponding to about 50 cubic feet per second. The steam chamber 22 was maintained at a vacuum of about 19 inches of mercury, and the gas leaving conduit M was at a temperature of about 108 F. Where the gas being delivered through conduit l3 consisted largely of products of combustion from a fuel gas burner and contained considerable sulphur-dioxide, upon removal through conduit 33 the gas was free from all sulphur-dioxide and dust, and was odorless.

It is evident that my method and apparatus is capable of many variations within the spirit of a the invention. For example, while atomization of the liquid is desirable to facilitate commingling with the gas, it is possible to supply the tubes with streams of liquid, properly controlled and distributed as to flow, whereby the liquid streams .are disrupted within'the tubes by turbulent flow and vaporization.

I- claim: 1. In a method of effecting separation of substances from a gaseous medium where a streamof the gaseous medium is caused to flow through a passage together with a vaporizable liquid, causingheat to' be imparted to the liquid while 'in the passage to cause the gaseous medium within the passage to be supersaturated with respect to its content of vapor from the liquid, and then separating liquid material from said gaseous medium after discharge thereof from said passage to thereby separate constituents agglomerated by condensation of vapor. 2. In a method of effecting separation of substances from a gaseous medium where a stream of the gaseous medium is caused to flow through a passage together with a vaporizable liquid,

causing heat to be imparted to the liquid in said passage to cause the gaseous medium within the passage to be supersaturated with respect to its content of vapor from the liquid, the flow through 3. In a method of removing substances from a substantially non-condensable gaseous medium, characterized by the use of an elongated passageway having neat-conducting walls, the steps of caus ng the gaseous medium to flow through said passageway with sum'cient velocity to cause turbulence, simultaneously introducing into the passageway vaporizable liquid material, causing a heat transfer through the walls of said passageway to convert a portion of said liquid material to the vapor phase, and to supersaturate the gaseous medium within the passageway, and then effecting a removal of liquid material from said gaseous medium after discharge thereo from. said passageway.

4. In a method of removing substances from a gaseous medium, characterized by the use of an elongated passageway having heat-conducting walls, the steps of causing the gaseous medium to flow through said passageway with suflicient velocity to cause turbulence, contacting the gaseous medium with liquid spray particles before introduction of the same into said passageway, whereby liquid spray particles are carried into said passageway together with the gaseous medium,

causing a heat transfer through the walls of said passageway to convert a portion of the liquid material to the vapor phase, whereby conditions of supersaturation are maintained within the passageway, and efiecting a removal of liquid phase material from the gaseous medium after discharge thereof from said passageway.

5. In a method of efl'ecting a removal of substances from a substantially non-condensable gaseous medium, the steps of passing the gaseous medium through a passageway at sufllcient velocity to cause turbulence, simultaneously introducing into the passageway a vaporizable liquid material, applying sufllcient heat to the liquid 'material while within the passageway to afford DAVID D. PEEBLES. 

